Requirements to protect health and safety of Domiciliary care workers:

Health and Safety issues are a major concern for both providers of the service and service users. As part of our assessment we will identify any risks associated with delivering the service and seek to ensure that all staff, family and carers who are involved are working safely with service users.

All staff are issued with the cooperatives Health and Safety Policy.

Risk assessment is an integral part of a package of care and the main thrust of the risk assessment is to identify safe systems of work to safeguard health and welfare of service users, staff and other people involved with the service user.

The cooperative takes responsibility for reporting dangerous occurrences as specified under RIDDOR.

Arrangements for service users to express their views about the service provided by the cooperative

The cooperative values feedback from service users about all aspects of the service they receive. Following the allocation of the service the service user will receive documentation outlining the service they can expect and the location of their Care Manager. The Manager will be happy to receive any feedback from service users about the service. The service user will receive regular monitoring and review visits from their Manager or Team Leaders to ensure the service is being provided as intended and that it continues to be appropriate.

In addition to this the cooperative is seeking to develop its quality assurance system to include regular questionnaires, surveys, and satisfaction interviews.

Shepshed Carers has a complaints procedure which is outlined below and also welcomes compliments.

The circumstances in which the cooperative may cease to provide services to a service user:

There are certain exceptional circumstances in which a service would be withdrawn. These are usually as a consequence of risk to the health and safety of service users and/or care workers.

They include environmental factors where the home is unsafe for staff to work in, where certain infections are present or, where service user behavior is such that it would be unsafe for staff to work. The Managers and/or Team leaders carry out detailed risk assessments of each home to establish whether any measures for staff safety are identified. In exceptional circumstances a meeting would be arranged with all interested parties, issues discussed, actions agreed. Minutes would be circulated to all present at the meeting.

Procedures to safeguard service user’s and their property:

Employees are employed and insured directly by the cooperative to work in the home of the person who is requiring care. From time to time accidents do occur and in the event of damage to your property staff will need to complete a detailed report and forward it to their manager. By the following day the manager will then contact you to discuss the way forward.

Procedures for the administration, or assistance with the administration of medication:

The cooperative has procedures covering the administration or the assistance offered in the administering of medication for service users. These procedures are in line with the current draft National Minimum Domiciliary Care Standards. There is a clear written policy supported by training for staff

The Complaints Procedure

In order to offer a good service, it is essential that all Service Users feel able to talk to care workers or the co-operative about any problems or complaints that arise.

Most can be dealt with promptly and efficiently by the care workers themselves. However, this is not always the case.

As one of our Service Users you are perfectly entitled to make complaints at any time. If you wish to raise a problem or complaint, you should follow the steps below.

If there are any points you do not understand then please discuss it with your care worker or the Manager/Team Leader.

If you have a problem or a complaint and feel able to discuss it with your care worker, they will do their best to resolve the problem quickly to your satisfaction.

If your care worker cannot deal with the problem, he/she will contact the Manager/Team Leader straight away, and they will arrange to come and see you.

The Manager/Team Leader will then discuss the problem with you and hopefully the matter will then be resolved. They will record your complaint and the action taken, and ask you to sign it as a true record of what occurred.

If you are not satisfied with this, or the problem continues, you can put the complaint in writing by filling out a complaints form.

You may wish to ask a friend or relative to write out the complaint for you, which, if possible, you should then sign.

Alternatively, the Manager/Team Leader will help you put your complaint in writing. They will then give you a copy so that you can agree that it is an accurate account and sign it.

If we receive a written complaint it will be investigated by the co-coordinator in consultation with a co-operative representative. It may take a little time to investigate fully, but we will write to you within 7 days to acknowledge receipt of the complaint and the steps we are taking to resolve it. A written report will be sent to you within 28 days, informing you of all action taken in response to the complaint. A record will also be kept in the files.

If the problem cannot be resolved to your satisfaction or you wish to take the matter further, you can ring your social worker direct who will be happy to represent you.

Confidentiality will be assured at all stages. Information will only be shared with your consent, on a ‘need to know’ basis.

To ensure that the service we provide matches your needs and expectations we welcome any comments that you care to make. This is one of the measures we can use to check the quality of service by the co-operative and ensure that we are following our code of practice.